Digital Commons Network^™

Lineage-Specific Interface Proteins Match Up The Cell Cycle And Differentiation In Embryo Stem Cells, Angela Re, Christopher T. Workman, Levi Waldron, Alessandro Quattrone, Søren Brunak

Publications and Research

The shortage of molecular information on cell cycle changes along embryonic stem cell (ESC) differentiation prompts an in silico approach, which may provide a novel way to identify candidate genes or mechanisms acting in coordinating the two programs. We analyzed germ layer specific gene expression changes during the cell cycle and ESC differentiation by combining four human cell cycle transcriptome profiles with thirteen in vitro human ESC differentiation studies. To detect cross-talk mechanisms we then integrated the transcriptome data that displayed differential regulation with protein interaction data. A new class of non-transcriptionally regulated genes was identified, encoding proteins which interact …

2013-2014 Eiu Common Data Set, Planning And Institutional Research, Eiu

Primary Documents of Eastern Illinois University

No abstract provided.

Efficacy Of Ivig For Treatment Of De-Novo Donor Specific Antibodies In Renal Transplant Recipients, Lynsey S. Biondi Md, Michael J. Moritz Md, Matthew Defulvio

Research Scholars Poster Presentation

Abstract

Development of Donor Specific Antibodies (DSA) is linked to worsened outcomes in renal transplant recipients. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is an immune-modulator utilized in treatment of antibody mediated rejection. A retrospective review of kidney transplant cases at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) from January 2009 to June 2014 was performed to evaluate the efficacy of IVIG in treatment of new DSAs. All patients undergoing renal transplant at LVHN are cross-match compatible at the time of procedure. Desensitization is not utilized. All highly sensitized patients (PRA>50%) receive prophylactic IVIG monthly x 4 months post-transplant. Study patients that tested positive for …

Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (Bfhi), Katherine Fradeneck

Research Scholars Poster Presentation

Abstract

The Lehigh Valley Health Network is currently in the process of becoming a Baby-Friendly Hospital, recognized for its full support of breastfeeding and mother-baby bonding. This process requires 4 phases: Discovery Phase, Development Phase, Dissemination Phase, and Designation Phase (Baby Friendly USA, Inc. 2012). LVHN is currently in the Development Phase and this requires most of the planning and data collection in regards to implementing the 10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding—the guidelines for becoming Baby-Friendly. This research study focuses on Step 7 of the 10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding: “Practice rooming-in, allowing mother and infants to remain together 24 …

What They Don’T Want You To Know About Planet X: Surviving 2012 And The Aesthetics Of Conspiracy Rhetoric, Ian Reyes, Jason K. Smith

Communication Studies Faculty Publications

Predictions of catastrophe at the end of the year 2012 are popular enough to be exploited by Hollywood and debunked by NASA. Drawing from a YouTube video series predicting a 2012 cataclysm caused by “Planet X,” we ask whether the discourse in question is a conspiracy theory and demonstrate how it exemplifies the challenges of analyzing rhetoric in the “paranoid style.” Examining these videos in terms of evidence, credibility, and inter-textuality, this article articulates an aesthetic of conspiracism, going beyond identifying the components of paranoid style to answer what makes a good conspiracy theory as such.

Design And Synthesis Of Chelating Compounds And Solid-Supported Chelators For Metal Depleted Solutions, Surendra Dawadi

Dissertations

Metals are essential to life, yet they can be toxic for biological systems when present in excessive amounts. The major source of metal overload in humans is diet; and in some cases, intravenous feeding. Thus the removal of toxic metal ions from contaminated clinical products such as total parenteral nutrition (TPN) solutions, and drinking and waste water is extremely important. The use of chelating resins, which are polymeric solids containing covalently immobilized chelating compounds, for the selective removal of metal ions from contaminated solutions has been conceptualized long ago. Herein, the design and synthesis of metal specific chelating compounds and …

Author Rights And Scholarly Works: Navigating The Realm Of Copyright For Medical Professionals, Keegan Boyle

Research Scholars Poster Presentation

Manuscript

Abstract

Many Academic journals have standards in regards to the usage of their copyrighted materials but these rights can be distorted by means of the author agreements with the original creator. Most journals involve the transfer of copyright by authors to the journal or publisher when the manuscript is accepted for publication. Most publishers, especially those in the science and technology genre force authors to give up their copyrights that the law has given to the scholars of the original works. This can become a problem for scholarly contributors because there is an uncertainty about how much influence they …

The Diversity Study: Factors Influencing Clinical Research, Adrian Paskey, Anita Kurt Phd, Rn

Research Scholars Poster Presentation

ABSTRACT

The Diversity Study is a two-pronged study which evaluates both clinical research professionals and patient populations eligible to participate in studies. The focus of this paper is on patient populations. Specific aims regarding the patient population of this study seek to identify how widespread participation in clinical studies is within the Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) community. Additionally, opinions regarding promotional tools which may more effectively entice women to participate in clinical research were evaluated in a 0-4 Likert scale. An overarching goal to improve diversity in research aligns with LVHN triple aim (better health, cost, and care) and …

Differential Basolateral–Apical Distribution Of Scavenger Receptor, Class B, Type I In Cultured Cells And The Liver, Stefanie Fruhwürth, Werner J. Kovacs, Robert Bittman, Simon Messner, Clemens Röhrl, Herbert Stangl

Publications and Research

The high-density lipoprotein (HDL) receptor, scavenger receptor class B, type I (SR-BI), mediates selective cholesteryl ester uptake into the liver, which finally results in cholesterol secretion into the bile. Despite several reports, the distribution of hepatic SR-BI between the sinusoidal and canalicular membranes is still under debate. We present immunohistological data using specific markers showing that the bulk of SR-BI is present in sinusoidal membranes and, to a lesser extent, in canalicular membranes in murine and human liver sections. In addition, SR-BI was detected in preparations of rat liver canalicular membranes. We also compared the in vivo findings to HepG2 …

Water Use And Water Tolerance In The Riparian Species American Sycamore (Plantanus Occidentalis L.) And How Its Physiology Compares To The Coexisting Black Willow (Salix Nigra Marshall), Eric Duncan

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

This study set out to compare aspects of water use and tolerance to inundation and drought of two riparian tree species, Platanus occidentalis L. and Salix nigra Marshall. The main goal of the study was to better understand the two species and assess the suitability of P. occidentalis for use in riparian restoration. To accomplish this, potted individuals were subjected to treatments of drought, inundation, or control, under greenhouse conditions, and separately, in order to estimate water use in trees, season-long diurnal measurements of sap flux (using Granier type thermal dissipation probes) were determined in situ for trees growing in …

Phenotypic Analysis Of The Regulatory Role Of The Leucine-Responsive Regulatory Protein (Lrppa) In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Stephanie D. Larson

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

Nutrient acquisition is critical to survival and infection by the opportunistic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This pathogen expresses a number of virulence factors that are a part of the starvation response and are important in host-pathogen interactions. Additionally, P. aeruginosa is resistant to a large number of antibiotics and has become difficult to treat once it has colonized a tissue. New pharmaceutical treatments are sought while the metabolism of this organism must be fully understood to select new targets for therapy. The leucine- responsive regulatory protein (Lrp) could be a promising target for treatment. The ortholog in Escherichia coli is …

The Effects Of Age, Gender, And Gender Role Ideology On Adolescents' Social Perspective-Taking Ability And Tendency, Kaitlin M. Flannery

Master's Theses

The current research examined gender and age differences in adolescents’ social perspective-taking (SPT), or the social-cognitive ability to infer another person’s thoughts and feelings. This study aimed to demonstrate that SPT Ability and SPT Tendency are distinct constructs that should be considered separately. The influence of youths’ gender role ideologies on SPT also was considered. In a sample of adolescents ranging from ages 12 to 17 (N=158), participants reported their tendency to take the perspective of a specific same-age, same-gender friend, and also were assessed in their ability to use SPT in a hypothetical context. The results indicated …

Hf-Nd Isotopic Variability In Mineral Dust From Chinese And Mongolian Deserts: Implications For Sources And Dispersal, Wancang Zhao, Youbin Sun, William Balsam, Huayu Lu

Dartmouth Scholarship

Mineral dust provenances are closely related to the orogenic processes which may have distinct Hf-Nd isotopic signatures. Here we report the clay-sized (<2 μm) Hf-Nd isotope data from Asian dust sources to better constrain the source and transport dynamics of dust deposition in the North Pacific. Our results show that there is a more positive radiogenic Hf isotopic composition with clay-sized fractions than the corresponding bulk sample and a decoupling of the Hf-Nd couplets in the clay formation during the weathering process. The clay-sized Hf-Nd isotopic compositions of the desert samples from the Sino-Korean-Tarim Craton (SKTC) are different from those of the Gobi and deserts from the Central Asian Orogeny Belt (CAOB) due to varying tectonic and weathering controls. The Hf-Nd isotopic compositions of dust in the North Pacific central province (NPC) match closely with those from the Taklimakan, Badain Jaran and adjacent Tengger deserts, implying that the NPC dust was mainly transported from these potential sources by the westerly jet. Our study indicates that dusts from the CAOB Gobi deserts either didn't arrive in NPC or were quantitatively insignificant, but they were likely transported to the North Pacific margin province (NPM) by East Asian winter monsoon.

Human Common Fragile Site Fra16d Flexibility Peak Is Not A Strong Mitotic: Recombination Hotspot In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Katina G. Kapellas

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Common fragile sites (CFS) are areas of the genome that tend to break when DNA replication is stressed or partially inhibited. Breaks at CFS can lead to gene deletions and amplifications that can result in the genesis of cancer cells. There is controversy about the mechanism of CFS instability. This study examines whether an AT-rich sequence called a flexibility peak from FRA16D can induce mitotic recombination events that lead to loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on chromosome III in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Two experimental yeast strains containing flexibility peak Flex1-(AT)15 from FRA16D were compared to a control strain lacking the Flex1 …

Ionomer Morphology, Solution To Film Thermodynamics, Molecule Transport, Physical Properties, And Water Desalination Via Electrodialysis, Donghui Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

Archival abstract submitted

Mouse Models Of Neuroanatomical, Behavioral, And Genetic Correlates Of Language-Related Impairments: An Investigation Of Core Phenotypes., Dongnhu Truong

Doctoral Dissertations

The development of the brain is an immensely complicated process that is highly regulated by numerous genetic pathways. Disruption within any stage of this operation—from proliferation, to neuronal migration, to synaptogenesis—could ultimately lead to deleterious behavioral outcomes, ranging from severe intellectual disability and gross motor developmental delays to more subtle cognitive impairments such as language disability. It is therefore no surprise that neuroanatomical anomalies resulting from of altered cortical development are associated with a number of language related neurodevelopmental disorders such as specific language impairment (SLI), dyslexia, and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Over the past decade, genetic association studies have …

Low Zinc Levels Is Associated With Increased Inflammatory Activity But Not With Atherosclerosis, Arteriosclerosis Or Endothelial Dysfunction Among The Very Elderly, Ehimen Aneni, Khurram Nasir

All Publications

BACKGROUND:

Reduced zinc intake has been related to atherogenesis and arteriosclerosis. We verified this assumption in very old individuals, which are particularly prone to both zinc deficiency and structural and functional changes in the arterial wall.

METHODS:

Subjects (n = 201, 80-102 years) with uneventful cardiovascular history and who were not in use of anti-inflammatory treatments in the last 30-days were enrolled. Daily intake of zinc, lipid profile, plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), plasma zinc, flow-mediated dilation (FMD), carotid ultrasonography and cardiac computed tomography were obtained. Young's Elastic Modulus, Stiffness Index and Artery Compliance were calculated.

RESULTS:

There was no significant …

The Senhora Who Doesn't Speak Portuguese: Following Francisco De Orellana Across The Amazon Jungle, Colleen Lynnette Pawling

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Pawling, Colleen Lynnette. MFA. The University of Memphis. August 2014. The Senhora Who Doesn’t Speak Portuguese: Following Francisco de Orellana Across the Amazon Jungle. Major Professor: Dr. Kristen Iversen.In 1542, Francisco de Orellana was swept down the Amazon River on what would become one of the most incredible—and unknown—journeys in history. Nearly half a millennium later, a 52-year-old American lawyer left everything behind to follow Orellana’s trail across the Amazon to see what changes 500 years of western intervention had caused. She discovered three different Amazonias—the first was a land of indigenous peoples torn by conflict with outside forces wanting …

Evaluation Of Medical Librarians’ Level Of Information And Communication Technology Skills Based On Mla Statements: A Study In Iran, Mina Tavassoli-Farahi, Masoumeh Tajafari, Iman Tahamtan

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Due to the importance of ICT skills, several leading associations have released guidelines on needed ICT skills for librarians. In this study, Medical Library Association (MLA) statements on ICT skills were used for evaluating medical librarians’ level of information and communication technology expertise in Iran. A census sampling method was used. Chief Librarians working in college libraries affiliated to the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) in Iran participated in this study. Findings showed that based on MLA’s skill statements, medical LIS professionals working in medical, dental and pharmacy colleges possessed adequate skill in communications and information infrastructure including …

Tuberculosis (Tb) Research In India During 2004-2013: A Bibliometric Analysis, Rabindra K. Maharana, Ashok Kumar Das, Jayanta Kumar Sahu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The present study is a bibliometric analysis of all Indian tuberculosis publications over the past 10 years, in the national/ international journals of repute. Utilizing the Scopus database, 7945 documents of Indian researcher’s publications data on tuberculosis research were used for the study, with an average of 794-795 documents per year and majority of them were research articles (76.56%). International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease; All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and D. Sriram were the most favoured research journal; major contributing organization/ institution and most prolific contributor. Article, Human and Humans were the most frequently used keywords.

Learning Information Literacy Through Drawing, David Brier, Vicky Lebbin

Library Instruction West 2014

Drawing is an excellent lo-fi teaching method for students to interact with and demonstrate their competence (or ignorance) of information literacy concepts beyond traditional text dominated methods. This program explores the use of drawing as a tool to teach library instruction and information literacy. This includes examples of drawing exercises and an examination of student illustrations made in library instruction workshops. Attendees will work together on a hands-on drawing exercise. Participants will:

• Be able to describe the opportunities and challenges of drawing activities in library instruction workshops

• Be able to design drawing activities for their own workshops

The …

Using Open Access Resources In Data Literacy Instruction: Renewing The Il Curriculum By Aligning It With Changing Needs, Don Macmillen

Library Instruction West 2014

To align information literacy instruction with changing faculty and student needs, librarians need to expand their conceptions and competencies beyond traditional information sources. In the sciences, this increasingly means integrating the data resources used by researchers into instruction for undergraduate students. Open access repositories allow students to work with more primary data than ever before, but only if they know how and where to look. This presentation will describe the development of classes designed to scaffold student learning in biology across two courses, detailing the long-term collaboration between a librarian and an instructor that now serves over 500 students per …

Table Of Contents, Human Biology Editors

Human Biology

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Flashlight: Using Bizup’S Beam To Illuminate The Rhetoric Of Research, Kate Rubick

Library Instruction West 2014

Purpose: This paper demonstrates how a librarian at a liberal arts college partnered with a professor of rhetoric and media studies to teach methods students to classify sources using Bizup’s BEAM.

Design/ Methodology Approach: Students in rhetorical criticism, read the Bizup article on BEAM. The library instruction included a discussion of the article and an application exercise where students classified cited references in a peer reviewed journal article using BEAM.

Findings: BEAM was a valuable addition to the rhetorical criticism course. The application exercise used in the library instruction session introduced BEAM as a tool to use in reading and …

Gratitude: A Basic Human Emotion For Initiating And Strengthening Interpersonal Relationships, Adam Randall Smith

Open Access Dissertations

Gratitude may function to foster human sociality. Exactly how gratitude performs this putative function, however, is a question that has received little scientific attention. Many recent investigations—primarily concerned with the positive emotional outcomes associated with the experience of gratitude—have overlooked the fundamental mechanistic operations that might produce gratitude. My dissertation addresses this oversight by capitalizing on advancements in the evolutionary psychological study of function and internal regulatory variables. I approach gratitude as a psychological adaptation that functions to coordinate behaviors that initiate and strengthen interpersonal relationships in conjunction with an internal regulatory variable responsible for tracking interpersonal welfare valuation, the …

Integrating Land Cover Modeling And Adaptive Management To Conserve Endangered Species And Reduce Catastrophic Fire Risk, David Breininger, Brean Duncan, Mitchell Eaton, Fred Johnson, James Nichols

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Land cover modeling is used to inform land management, but most often via a two-step process, where science informs how management alternatives can influence resources, and then, decision makers can use this information to make decisions. A more efficient process is to directly integrate science and decision-making, where science allows us to learn in order to better accomplish management objectives and is developed to address specific decisions. Co-development of management and science is especially productive when decisions are complicated by multiple objectives and impeded by uncertainty. Multiple objectives can be met by the specification of trade offs, and relevant uncertainty …

The Semen Microbiome And Its Relationship With Local Immunology And Viral Load In Hiv Infection, Cindy M. Liu, Brendan J.W. Osborne, Bruce A. Hungate, Kamnoosh Shahabi, Sanja Huibner, Richard Lester, Michael G. Dwan, Colin Kovacs, Tania L. Contente-Cuomo, Erika Benko, Maliha Aziz, Lance B. Price

Environmental and Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Semen is a major vector for HIV transmission, but the semen HIV RNA viral load (VL) only correlates moderately with the blood VL. Viral shedding can be enhanced by genital infections and associated inflammation, but it can also occur in the absence of classical pathogens. Thus, we hypothesized that a dysregulated semen microbiome correlates with local HIV shedding. We analyzed semen samples from 49 men who have sex with men (MSM), including 22 HIV-uninfected and 27 HIV-infected men, at baseline and after starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) using 16S rRNA gene-based pyrosequencing and quantitative PCR. We studied the relationship of semen …

Metagenomic Identification Of A Novel Salt Tolerance Gene From The Human Gut Microbiome Which Encodes A Membrane Protein With Homology To A Brp/Blh-Family Beta-Carotene 15,15'-Monooxygenase, Eamonn P. Culligan, Roy D. Sleator, Julian R. Marchesi, Colin Hill

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

The human gut microbiome consists of at least 3 million non-redundant genes, 150 times that of the core human genome. Herein, we report the identification and characterisation of a novel stress tolerance gene from the human gut metagenome. The locus, assigned brpA, encodes a membrane protein with homology to a brp/blh-family β-carotene monooxygenase. Cloning and heterologous expression of brpA in Escherichia coli confers a significant salt tolerance phenotype. Furthermore, when cultured in the presence of exogenous β-carotene, cell pellets adopt a red/orange pigmentation indicating the incorporation of carotenoids in the cell membrane.

Web-Based Computational Chemistry Education With Charmming Iii: Reduction Potentials Of Electron Transfer Proteins, B. Scott Perrin Jr., Benjamin T Miller, Vinushka Schalk, H. Lee Woodcock Iii, Bernard R. Brooks, Toshiko Ichiye

Chemistry Faculty Publications

A module for fast determination of reduction potentials, E°, of redox-active proteins has been implemented in the CHARMM INterface and Graphics (CHARMMing) web portal (www.charmming.org). The free energy of reduction, which is proportional to E°, is composed of an intrinsic contribution due to the redox site and an environmental contribution due to the protein and solvent. Here, the intrinsic contribution is selected from a library of pre-calculated density functional theory values for each type of redox site and redox couple, while the environmental contribution is calculated from a crystal structure of the protein using Poisson-Boltzmann continuum …

Structural And Cognitive Correlates Of Body Mass Index In Healthy Older Adults, Jacob Bolzenius

Dissertations

Obesity, commonly measured with body mass index (BMI), is associated with numerous deleterious health conditions and may be a modifier of age-related alterations in brain integrity. Research suggests that white matter integrity observed using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is altered with high BMI, but the integrity of specific tracts remains poorly understood. Additionally, no studies have examined fractional anisotropy (FA) of tract integrity in conjunction with neuropsychological evaluation with elevated BMI among older adults. It was hypothesized that elevated BMI would be independently associated with lower white matter integrity and cognitive performance. It was also hypothesized that age and BMI …